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INTJ personality type is one of the rarest personality types...why do you think this is- can it be explained throught evolution in a way, perhaps throughout human history it was simply more beneficial for survival to be an ESTJ, for example (perhaps this is still the case today?)...or can it be better explained through cognitive differences of types (brain chemistry, things similar)...perhaps its more the result of INTJs being reared in circumstances that are out of the ordinary and which promote the formation of the INTJ personality...perhaps a combo of these factors...or something entirely different??
I want various thoughts/theories...Discuss!

Maybe INTJ personalties are "culled" out of many people during their childhood and their formative stages. This can be due to the fact that society tends towards extroversion and institutions aren't really designed to bred INTJ personalities.

If personality has anything to do with genetics, there could also be the Darwinism theory.

The father holds the genes. INTJs men aren't exciting enough to attract women in general, so they don't get the reward of passing on the genes. Whereas the more exciting personalities are much more in abundance. Nature is a bitch.

Myself, I was born to two extroverts...so I question the genetic aspect of it, or at least, that would point to it being a very submissive gene.

But, the idea of an INTJ being reared in special circumstances might have merit. In my case, I was born after an older sibling had died. I was my parents' first child to survive, and perhaps that had some kind of influence on my upbringing.

However, in nature, the more dominant males are the ones that pass on their genetic code, while the less dominant (or less social if you like) do not. An interesting exception to this rule might be the bower-bird. Apparently within that species, it is males with an architectural talent that are more likely to pass on their genes....a lot. The ones that can build the best bowers get all the ladies.

The father holds the genes. INTJs men aren't exciting enough to attract women in general, so they don't get the reward of passing on the genes. Whereas the more exciting personalities are much more in abundance. Nature is a bitch.

Um really? My dads is an ENFJ and mom is an INFJ.. no genes from there
From where did i got my T?

Its an unusual mental approach to develop and one that doesn't work too well in society. The skills of an INTJ are wasted at the lower levels at which most people have to start their careers... Advanced thought without the primitive thought: Unfortunate.

Good question... I believe my mom was an INTJ at some point. She had a very strong personality; however, as the years went by and as she deepen herself into her religious affiliation she has become more of an ENFJ. She is always caring for others and forgets to take care of herself and she is extremely popular in her religious affiliation.

For me, I think is a combination of genes and how I grew up; although sometimes I wonder... I was kind of odd growing up. I was more mature than a regular child and I come from a divorce family where my mom was both parents at once, never remarried and always worked to provide for me and my brother; while my dad never worked and was always drunk.

For some unknown reason I was always able to analyze things in a way that nobody else could. I also think two of my aunts who were teachers had a lot to do with who I am today. Maybe seeing how hard my mom worked to ensure me and my brother had a proper upbringing and her support on my science projects along with the support from my teachers and counselors had a lot to do with who I am today.

Anyway, I don't know why we are so rare, but I certainly did felt a lot different than the rest of the kids. While my neighbors enjoy playing dolls, dressup, and insignificant games, I enjoyed discovering nature, reading books, doing research, and sports.

Bottom line, is very hard to explain why we are so rare and how we end up being an INTJ, at least, for me it is.

Um really? My dads is an ENFJ and mom is an INFJ.. no genes from there
From where did i got my T?

Anomalous, nature isn't perfect. The point is, the I isn't normally an attractive feature, until the woman is looking for a father for the kids she has. Likewise, the I isn't "acceptable" in general society; so not only are we ignored by the W, we're picked on by the M. T is an evolved state of F, which was an evolved state of instinct; your parents may have preferred F, but they can still think, you just prefer to take it a step farther; assuming you can still feel, your question is foolish.

I spent most of my teenage years inside on my computer. Not sure if this caused it or if INTJ was just something I already had. I do feel as I get older I rapidly get more focused and smarter which I guess is logical, but I get so many compliments on how smart I am and my display of advanced thinking. This year has been quite intense and I'm thinking while I'm sleeping causing me to be real tired when I wake up, not fun.

Back to answering the question. I guess too much of a good thing can be bad in many circumstances. Time will tell, maybe one day we will find the answer.

It is hard to survive as an INTJ unless you are good enough at it to survive in your surroundings. The whole autonomous thing requires being able to accurate determine when others around you should be doubted. More so when you are an impressionable kid, depending on the setting you grew up in, since you would be doubting your role models with little to compare to. Plus, some people probably don't have the mind, nature or concern to be an INTJ at either a very young age or even currently.

The father holds the genes. INTJs men aren't exciting enough to attract women in general, so they don't get the reward of passing on the genes. Whereas the more exciting personalities are much more in abundance. Nature is a bitch.

LOL. Sad but true. Shadizar is on point yet again!

I think being INTJ is only marginally a choice. You can increase your skills, but innately you will always approach things in a specific way. Its like trying to teach someone that never learned algebra how to do it. They can sorta pick it up and maybe even functionally learn to do it, but they'll never be as naturally good as someone that harnessed the ability early on. My 0.02.

There are probably a whole lot of factors playing into this. I think a big part if not almost all of it ("it" being personality type and not specifically INTJ) might be genetic, but there isn't one single gene that is responsible, it is a pattern that develops through interaction of many genes.
Of course, I could say I got dominant Ni from my mom and secondary Te from my dad, but that's probably very simplified as that approach only seems to work for a few people.
The INTJ combination might just be one of the rarer ones. Maybe it involves a lot of recessive genes, or maybe there just are fewer combinations that express that way than there are for most other types.

Um really? My dads is an ENFJ and mom is an INFJ.. no genes from there
From where did i got my T?

From T-Shirt.

@OP:

Statistically speaking you need less INTJs in the world. Think of the places in which INTJs tend to congregate or gravitate towards... Do you really need high numbers of them? See where I am going with this?

Also like other posters said... Maybe the rarity is a function of the level of difficulty an INTJ faces when forming interpersonal relationships. I don't think I really subscribe to an INTJ, or any MBTI gene, but maybe the chances of being born an INTJ may be increased if one of your parents or other close relatives is INTJ...

Both my father and brother are INTJs and having an INTJ parent allowed me to go far beyond what the ISFJ description delineates. Furthermore, interacting with even more INTJs added to this greatly. I believe that I was able to attract and handle INTJs as friends because I grew up with them. There were two, in particular, in college who assisted me and then there is also the guy who goes by the name of TypeINTJ here on INTJf. These friends have helped me develop in ways that I did not know possible, especially TypeINTJ (@ Type: Yo, babe, what's up? To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.)

If I was growing up with only my ISFJ mother and/or another type of father, I would not have been so well rounded (not my figure To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. although that is pretty nice as well. To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.) as I am. I really do stand apart from what an ISFJ is "supposed" to be. I make no apologies when I say that I am glad that I do. I am also hoping for at least one INTJ kid... I will let you know what happens because the more I live, the more I think that only a XNTJ male will be able to handle me, and I think that I want an I partner rather than an E. Soooo... if it is in the genetics, based on my family history and when I get my wish of an INTJ partner, then chances are I will have INTJ kid(s).

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Anomalous, nature isn't perfect. The point is, the I isn't normally an attractive feature, until the woman is looking for a father for the kids she has. Likewise, the I isn't "acceptable" in general society; so not only are we ignored by the W, we're picked on by the M. T is an evolved state of F, which was an evolved state of instinct; your parents may have preferred F, but they can still think, you just prefer to take it a step farther; assuming you can still feel, your question is foolish.

So does your patronizing manner and know it all answers in your posts To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

The INTJ way of thinking does seem impractical in an extroverted society, and it certainly makes the early stages of life difficult to deal with. Parents: ESFJ Mom, INFJ Dad. I've always related more to my father, since he's able to grasp higher thought more easily than my mother ever has.

It seems like life has a way of beating the personalities out of potential INTJs. A society devised by the EFs is never kind to the outcasts...

Before your collective bums fill up with smoke, it might serve as a better track to figure out why introverted intuition is so rare (relatively speaking). You might find that, with a little analysis, types with primary and secondary introverted intuition are more rare than their sister types with extraverted intuition.

You might also consider that any answer (genetically) should also encapsulate the rarity of INFJs as well (so the whole "nature self-selecting against types that can't form interpersonal relationships" line of reasoning is out, and so is the whole "society doesn't want a lot of INXJs" argument is out, too. People actually like my type. To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.)

The father holds the genes. INTJs men aren't exciting enough to attract women in general, so they don't get the reward of passing on the genes. Whereas the more exciting personalities are much more in abundance. Nature is a bitch.

The father holds the genes? Thanks for giving me my morning gaffaw Shadizar.

The human mother contributes approximately 51% of the genetic material for the offspring.

My parents are no where near an INTJ . . . though my Grand mother is most certainly something close to that, though she was never tested . . . I was the only one in her family to really connect with her which is why I put her in that category. Is it possible to skip generations? I know my sister is exactly as my mom "ESFP" My dad is ISTP.

I don't know if it is nature or nuture with any certainty. Though, i suspect neither. Some how we end up being who we are. I remember as a child my brothers and sisters teasing me about being quiet and curious. The human brain is one vast unexplored region. It maybe yeears before we know. But then, who wants personality engineering?

It can be various things. Genetics and so forth.
One of the biggest factors that pops into my head is upbringing, but that's just me.
I'm pretty undereducated when it comes to things pertaining to genetics/why people turn out the way they do.
However, I imagine that it's not just one simple factor! I would think that it is a combination of many, genetics, how one was brought up, and so forth.
Either way, thinking about this is very interesting... and mind boggling.

The father holds the genes? Thanks for giving me my morning gaffaw Shadizar.

The human mother contributes approximately 51% of the genetic material for the offspring.

He meant that many intj men don't ever marry so their genes are less likely to make it into the gene pool in the first place. My intj father did marry but he did not want children. My mom bullied him into it (huge mistake in my opinion but I'm here now so I deal with it). He, myself and my sister are all intj's. I grew up and married yet another intj. We have kids and at least one of them is on the track of intj. Too early to tell with my girls.

You'd think with my family I'd say it was all genetics but I say it isn't that simple. I think environment and how kids are raised influences this a lot. For example my son is the oldest and he's most like me. I had 2 more girls who have had more outside influences (plus each other) and they are so far decidedly more E than I ever was. Gene's or environment? I think it's both.

Does a high IQ lead one to INTJ preferences?
There's definitely a correlation between the two. I don't think personality type is genetic at all. Intelligence is, atleast somewhat.
I have to go to work right now, I'll come back to this... but the theories stated thus far seem farfetched.

Another (related) question, where does intuition come from? In a world filled with sensing organisms -including humans themselves- why is there a small percentage dominated by intuition? It's curious because intuition has lead, and will continue to lead us to advancement. (advancement meaning furthering our understanding of the universe)

The father holds the genes. INTJs men aren't exciting enough to attract women in general, so they don't get the reward of passing on the genes. Whereas the more exciting personalities are much more in abundance. Nature is a bitch.

I doubt ISTJs are any more exciting than we are, and they're the most common male type.

I don't think there's really a clear, obvious reason for the low percentage of INTJs in the world.

I doubt ISTJs are any more exciting than we are, and they're the most common male type.

I don't think there's really a clear, obvious reason for the low percentage of INTJs in the world.

We must be looking at different To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts., though I'll admit, mine could be wrong. But at the same time their relationship To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. reads much better than that of an INTJ. Besides, S is grounded in the here and now, while N is off in the wonderful realm of what could be a thousand years from now; hence the horrible disparity between S and N; it's hard to make a woman hot and bothered with "my ideas will make the world a better place five hundred years from now" while S is saying "I know what's wrong, tell me how to fix it". On the whole, it's the N that's rare, not just the INTJ; N is busy leading the world to remarkable new places, while S are busy bunnies.